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Welcome to Restaurant Equipment World’s restaurant review. On today’s menu is Kyoto Sushi & Grill with four locations in the Central Florida area to serve you.

Kyoto is a one-of-a-kind, casual Japanese restaurant serving traditional Japanese cuisine with a modern approach to dining. This family owned and operated business was first established right on the University of Central Florida’s campus just across from their arena. Kyoto’s contemporary style restaurant, combined with fast service and exceptional pricing soon afforded the expansion into three more locations.

The menu at Kyoto’s is extensive – appetizers, hibachi grill, bento boxes, eggs rolls and specialty rolls make the list of hundreds of items for your dining pleasure. Start from the sushi bar and enjoy an appetizer and or a specialty roll with fresh seafood, expertly prepared and presented with a bowl of delicious miso soup – a great tasty start to any meal. Don’t forget the wasabi and ginger! Prefer a tempura appetizer – try chicken, shrimp, crab, dumplings or vegetables fried to perfection and served with a house specialty sauce made for dipping and crafted exclusively for diners at Kyoto.

The hibachi grill can be created with your choice of steak, seafood or vegetables and is served up hot off the grill and served with soup or salad, vegetables and steamed or fried rice. Seasoned to perfection and enough to satisfy any appetite. Can’t make up your mind? Try a grill combo with any of the above choices, times two! Hibachi grills are available with tofu and vegetarian options as well.

Kyoto’s Bento Boxes offer a great mix of food for your sampling pleasure. They come with many choices and are plenty enough to share. All boxes have steamed rice, cali roll, gyoza dumpling and an egg roll with your choice of beef, chicken or seafood – all served with a choice of soup or salad and at a price that won’t break your bank.

Well then there’s the Kyoto sushi bar . . . Tasty sushi and sashimi featuring delights like baby octopus, conch, eel, salmon, scallop, tuna, shrimp and escolar – just to name a few. Try one of their specialty rolls like the Beauty & the Beast Roll with asparagus, avocado, cream cheese, topped with steamed shrimp, avocado and eel sauce. The UCF Roll is made with imitation crab meat mixed with masago, spicy mayo with avocado and cucumber inside.

End your meal (if you have any room left), with the Cheesecake Tempura – cheesecake deep fried in a sweet tempura shell and served with vanilla ice cream. Or another sweet option is the Moci Ice Cream – sweet sticky rice on the outside, ice cream filling on the inside, topped with syrup.

Kyoto Sushi & Grill has 4 locations to serve you: on campus at UCF, just off campus on Collegiate Way, Lee Vista near the Orlando International Airport and in Avalon Commons on East Colonial Drive. Check out their website at www.kyotosushiandgrill for directions and location hours.

So . . . whether you are a student on the go, or a family of five – fast service and high quality fare is what you will find at Kyoto Sushi & Grill. Stop by one of their central Florida locations . . . you’ll be glad you did!

Welcome to Restaurant Equipment World’s Restaurant Review. On today’s menu is Valisa Bakery. Located in the heart of Orlando is where you will find this unexpected gem. Authentic Puerto Rican food made with a passion that runs in the family. Their motto, “It’s okay to make a mess, experiments can lead to delicious beautiful things.”

Authentic dishes made from scratch daily bring together the taste and the smells that make the Valisa experience. A warm, welcoming ambiance greets you as you enter to experience the tastes and sounds of generations of Puerto Rican cuisine at its finest.

Every dish and baked good is made fresh. Enjoy pastelillos, quesitos, cheesecake, Napoleons, fruit tarts, guava cupcakes, donuts and so much more. Grab one to eat with your breakfast or lunch and then take few home for later – keep everyone happy.

For breakfast, the Spanish Omelette is sure to please. It’s filled with ham, cheese, onion, pepper, tomatoes and of course chorizo served with hash browns or sweet plantains. Wash it all down with fresh squeezed orange juice and a pastry or two – delicious.

Valisa offers a lunch buffet with plenty of variety. Choose from a different daily assortment of rice, soup, stew, chicken, pork and beef dishes, along with plenty of plantain and tostones. Ropa vieja, mondongo, plantain lasagna, yucca loin stuffed, pepper steak and chicken/pork skewers to name just a few. Buffet items change daily, so call ahead and ask for your favorites.

Valisa offers an extensive list of Puerto Rican artisan sandwiches as well. Try the house favorite Tripleta with thinly sliced beef steak, smoked ham, tender roast pork, lettuce tomatoes with a delicious garlic sauce and homemade dressing. Or make your own and choose from a fresh meats and cheeses in their deli like serrano, salami, prosciutto, mortadella, pernil and chorizo. A little something for everyone!

Don’t forget the mofongo! Valisa has nine different monfogo choices including chicken, steak, roasted pork, shrimp and octopus. Try the Mofongo Triple with shrimp, conch and octopus. Each dish includes a colorful house salad with a tangy dressing.

Valisa bakery is located at 1654 North Semoran Blvd. in Orlando for dining in or take-out. They are open daily Monday through Saturday from 6am to 9pm and Sunday from 6am to 7pm. Call ahead to 407-250-6050 for their daily lunch menu as it changes. Check out their menu on Facebook at www.facebook.com/valisabakery.

Valisa Bakery, stop by and give them a try . . . you’ll be glad you did.

Relax at Bosphorous’ upscale bar and delight in an extensive list of wine, beer and custom cocktails uniquely crafted for appetizers or a full Turkish meal. Pull up a seat outside and enjoy the sights and sounds of Winter Park’s famous Park Avenue.

Take in happy hour with two for-one drinks daily from 4 to 6pm, then grab your friends and family and a meticulously paired bottle of Turkish wine and get ready to experience and exquisitely prepared meal that makes you feel as if you sailed across oceans and landed in Turkey.

The Karisik Meze (or mixed appetizer) is the best way to sample a variety of menu items. It offers a combination of humus, babagnoush (smoked eggplant puree with tahini, Turkish olive oil and yogurt), ezme (tomatoes, peppers, onions, walnuts, dill pickle, jalapenos and lemon juice), sautéed eggplant, tabbuli (Turkish cracked wheat, with tomatoes, red bell peppers, parsley and green onion, topped with Turkish olive oil), tarama (red caviar whipped with olive oil and lemon juice), haydari (yogurt mixed with walnuts, dill and mint) and stuffed grape leaves. Make sure to order the house favorite lavas (or hallow bread) to dip into your plate of appetizers. While this alone could satisfy your hunger, save room – there is plenty more to experience.

For an entrée, the mixed grill is a great option. A combination platter of doner kebab (thinly sliced, vertically broiled lamb), chicken and lamb adana (meat flavored with peppers, seasoned and grilled), chicken and lamb sis (cubes of meat marinated and char-grilled with special seasoning) and chicken and lamb kofte kebobs (meat blended with garlic, special seasoning and char-grilled) – served with yogurt sauce, rice pilaf, pickled red cabbage, carrots, red onion, parsley and the house special dressing. A tasty culinary adventure, that will make you want to come back for more.

Now on to dessert, like traditional Baklava – thin pastry dough filled with pistachios and topped with citrus infused simple syrup. Other house favorites include the Sutlac, creamy rice pudding served chilled and topped with pistachios and the Turkish Pineapple delight, sponge cake layers, pineapple and mouse topped with citrus infused simple syrup and pistachios – any of the choices are a absolute winner!

The food at Bosphorous is made with the freshest ingredients (meat is never frozen), and carefully handcrafted by the Chef Ertane and his team. I’m guessing this is just one of the reasons why Bosphorous continues to ascertain local accolades and awards.

Bosphorous has two locations: 108 South Park Avenue in Winter Park (407-644-8609) and 7600 Dr. Phillips Blvd. in Orlando (407-352-6766). Both locations are open Sunday through Thursday from 11am to 10pm and Friday/Saturday from 11am to 11pm. Reservations at both locations are highly recommended as this local favorite tends to fill up quickly – reserve via phone or online at www.bosphorousrestaurant.com.
Borsphorous Turkish Cuisine, stop by and give it a try – you’ll be glad you did.

Welcome to Restaurant Equipment World’s restaurant review – on today’s menu is The Osprey Tavern in beautiful Baldwin Park. A warm and comfortable atmosphere ushers you in to The Osprey Tavern. Elegant and sophisticated nuances are present all over this true tavern style restaurant. It’s eclectic, and beckons you to venture in, sit and relax. Enjoy one of The Osprey Tavern’s uniquely crafted cocktails, a glass of wine their exceptionally chosen wine list or try one of the local or seasonal draft beer choices from around the world.

The beef carpaccio is an excellent beginning – with Tokyo turnips, black garlic, hen of the woods and melba toast, dappled with red cabbage puree. As delicious at it is beautiful. Another popular appetizer is the Octopus pizza – made with confit fingerling potatoes, piquillo pepper and octopus chorizo, an absolute delight. If you are in the mood to share, then the Charcuterie is definitely your answer – an assortment of meats and sauces like nduja (spicy, spreadable pork sausage), chicken rillettes, chorizo verde, duck terrine, saucisson and landjager sausage accompanied with grilled bread and tangy house pickles. The items change often, so it’s always a pleasant surprise to see what they will be serving next – a delicious way to start any meal.

If you still have room – don’t forget a dessert like the Cookies and Milk for Two. Share the orange-hazelnut, Mexican chocolate, dulcey blondies, cherry-almond biscotti and then wash it down with a glass of almond milk. Or try the German Chocolate dessert – featuring milk chocolate cream, pate a choux, coconut macaroons, toasted pecans and condensed milk ice cream – another spectacular way to end a great meal.

The Osprey Tavern is located at 4899 New Broad Street, Orlando (but it’s actually in what most of us refer to as Baldwin Park). Their hour are as follows: Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday from 5:30pm to 11pm, Sunday Brunch from 10:30 to 2:30pm, Sunday Dinner from5:30pm to 10pm. The Osprey Tavern has an excellent happy hour with discounted drink prices along with a limited menu of favorites like the Scotch Egg and the Brioche Grilled Cheese – check that out Tuesday through Sunday from 5pm to 6:30pm. Have a large party? Or would like to make a reservation? Give them a call at 407-960-7700 or make a reservation online at www.ospreytavern.com.

A Stylish atmosphere, classic American fare – it’s all waiting here for you to try at The Osprey Tavern. Stop in and give them a try . . . you’ll be glad you did!

Welcome to Restaurant Equipment World’s restaurant review. On today’s menu is RusTeak. RusTeak is nestled in the heart of College Park, Florida, a perfect location for a restaurant with such eclectic charm and inviting atmosphere. Purposefully designed and highlighting work from local artisans, RusTeak is the perfect place to enjoy a delectable meal or signature cocktails. RusTeak is owned and operated by Jonathan and Brian, two esteemed graduates of The Culinary Institute of America who have hand crafted a menu filled with sandwiches, burgers, flatbreads, steaks and pasta.

The bar offers seasonal handcrafted signature cocktails, like the Hemmingway Daiquiri with rum, grapefruit juice, key lime juice, grapefruit bitters muddled with fresh red grapefruit. RusTeak also offers over 45 different craft beers and 22 wines by the glass. Enjoy Happy Hour Monday through Saturday from 4pm to 7p with $5 Wines by The Glass, $5 Signature Cocktails and $5 Appetizers. So grab a cocktail and enjoy the view in their cozy patio and get ready to enjoy some of the most exciting food around this area.

We started with the Pumpkin Potato Gnocchi with hand rolled gnocchi, gorgonzola and fontina fondue, cherry tomatoes, roasted asparagus and walnut delight, an amazing way to start your meal. Or try the Shrimp Fritters with chopped shrimp, smoked maple bacon, roasted, lightly fried and served with Old Bay aioli and mustard seed sauce – delight for all your senses.

In the mood for a burger, the famous RusTeak Burger boasts an Angus beef patty seasoned with garlic cilantro sauce, beefsteak tomato, provolone cheese, smoke bacon topped with a medium fried egg and crispy potato strings and served on a toasted brioche. Add a side of crisp cilantro fries and your life is now complete. There is a reason why it is a house favorite – it’s amazing!

One of RusTeak’s most popular sandwiches is the Turkado (TURK-A-DOO) with house roasted turkey breast, baby swiss cheese, garlic cilantro sauce, bibb lettuce, beefsteak tomato, topped with sweet potato strings tossed in a white truffle oil and served on sourdough bread and served with your choice of a side like sweet potato tots. A fresh and filling sandwich – you just won’t be able to get enough.

RusTeak also offers several seafood, pasta, chicken and steak dishes as entrees. Come back often as the menu is seasonal and it changes five times (or more) a year to offer the freshest ingredients available. It is not unusual to see wild boar, venison and even rattlesnake as one of the daily specials – so call ahead to see what’s on the menu for the day.

The dessert choices are ever changing as well, but rest assured you are likely to find a house favorite like the warm bread pudding topped with creamy vanilla ice cream and caramel swirls – just the right way to finish an amazing meal.

Birthdays, weddings, office parties – whatever the reason may be, you can celebrate in RusTeak’s dedicated wine room. Completely enclosed, overlooking the entire restaurant, so you can enjoy the restaurant atmosphere and still have an intimate gathering. RusTeak’s wine room carries over 150 wines from around the world, sure to compliment any occasion.

RusTeak has two locations for your convenience: RusTeak at Maguire Crossing, 1568 Maguire Road in Ocoee (407-614-3765), and RusTeak in College Park, 2625 Edgewater Drive in College Park (407-540-1100). Reservations are highly recommended. Their hours are Monday through Saturday from 11am to 11pm, they are closed on Sunday.

RusTeak – an American restaurant with polished, casual flair. Stop by and give them a try, you’ll be glad you did!